


It's Been a Long, Long Time

by sterlingstars



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bucky is really cute, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Steve is really cute, Steve's not as bad at dancing as he thinks he is, everyone is cute and happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-29
Updated: 2015-08-29
Packaged: 2018-04-17 22:21:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4683497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sterlingstars/pseuds/sterlingstars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve owes Bucky a dance, which he has not happened to forget, all these years later. He calls in the favor, and Steve discovers that maybe he's not as bad a dancer as he remembers. </p><p>This is just pure, unadulterated fluff, because I like it when these two are happy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's Been a Long, Long Time

**Author's Note:**

> The song Steve sings is "It's Been a Long, Long Time" by Charlie Spivak and His Orchestra. It's a really lovely song, and I definitely recommend giving it a listen!

When Steve comes home, the record player is going.

He steps into the apartment, gently closing and locking the door behind himself, the soft sounds of a brass band drifting through the air. His initial thought is to panic, considering what happened the last time he came in to his records playing, but he quickly remembers that Bucky's home and Nick is in Switzerland. He lets out a breath he hadn't even been aware of holding, kicking his shoes off by the door as he pads in through to the living room.

Bucky is sitting there, cross-legged on the couch, reading a book, and sure enough, the record player is open, record spinning on it. Bucky's in one of Steve's hoodies and a pair of pajama pants, his hair tied into a loose bun. He's tucked himself into the corner, and taps one of his fingers on his knee sort of absently as he flips a page.

“You're home a little early,” he says, not looking up from the book.

“We managed to compromise for once,” Steve says, settling on the couch next to Bucky, leaning on his metal arm. “Got to leave early for being good.”

Bucky lets out a soft chuckle before slipping his bookmark into his page and closing the book. It's Russian poetry- a gift Natasha had given him a few months back. He sets it on the coffee table and looks over at Steve, eyes soft.

“I was gonna get all cleaned up for ya, too,” he says in a huff. “Might have to settle, I suppose.”

“Who're you cleaning up for?” Steve asks, taking Bucky's hand, the metal fingers cool around his own. “Some other guy in your life I should know about, Buck?”

“Of course not, you punk,” he says, playfully shoving Steve a little with his free hand. “How many times I gotta tell you you're my best guy?”

“As many times as I wanna hear it,” Steve says with a grin, fluttering his lashes. 

Bucky rolls his eyes and kisses the grin right off his face. At some point, Steve ends up with a lapful of him, Bucky's hands in his hair as they kiss, slow and deep and lazy. He's smiling as they part, a little breathless. Bucky nuzzles his neck a little, and Steve runs his hand across his back, humming along to the music.

Finally, after sitting this way for a while, he finally decides to ask the question that's been tugging at him.

“What did you wanna get all cleaned up for, Buck? You takin' me somewhere?”

Bucky chuckles, low and soft. “Nope. But I did wanna do somethin' nice for you, and I wanted to not be wearing my pajamas while I did it.”

“Well, aren't you sweet?” Steve asks. “What did you have in mind?”

“Well,” Bucky says, his eyes lit up in the way that makes Steve's stomach flutter, “you still owe me a dance, Stevie.”

“Since when?”

“The night before I got deployed,” Bucky says automatically, eyes dancing. “You left me with those two gals all by myself. And I never even got to dance with you.”

“I'm sure it was a miserable time,” Steve snickers. 

“Don't make fun of me, you jerk,” Bucky says. “This is a serious matter. Besides, you're all big and tall now and have much better balance, so I don't even have to worry about you steppin' on my toes.”

“You sure about that? I still can't dance very well.”

“No better time like the present to practice, then,” Bucky says with a grin.

Before he can form his protest, Steve is being pulled off of the couch and into Bucky's arms. In one smooth motion, Bucky slides the coffee table against the wall and pulls Steve close, smiling. Steve laughs, shaking his head a little. Bucky is all raised eyebrows and his signature trouble-making grin, and Steve's stomach is fluttering a little at the sight.

“Come on, Stevie, show me your moves.”

Steve is blushing, but he gingerly starts to move his feet. Bucky is grinning from ear to ear, and easily sweeps Steve into a rhythm. It's all very slow and gentle, at first, and Steve finds himself easing into it rather easily. It's not as awful as he thought it would be, and he starts to relax a little as they move into it. Bucky's smile is so soft and big and sweet, and Steve's heart feels like it's in his feet. 

“See? You're not so bad at this, baby,” Bucky says. “I knew you had it in you.”

Steve flushes, eyes going to the floor, and Bucky laughs warmly, pressing a kiss to his forehead as they twirl. 

“Yeah, well, don't expect this to be a regular thing anytime soon,” he mumbles bashfully. “Can't do much more than this.”

“Babydoll, this is all I need,” Bucky says, and Steve flushes harder.

“Well, when you put it that way...”

Bucky's grin is bright, and Steve buries his face in his neck, stray strands of Bucky's hair tickling his cheek. He smiles, just letting the familiar, soothing sounds of the music sweep him away. There's nothing besides the music and Bucky's embrace right now, and Steve is perfectly okay with that. In fact, he prefers it this way. Just him and Bucky and nothing else, like it used to be. It's been a very long time since it was like this, but it feels like it was yesterday. He can still feel the worn floor of their old apartment in Brooklyn under his feet, hear the way it creaks; he can still hear, if he concentrates, Mrs. Anderson across the hall yeling at her sons, who were out past curfew again. For a moment, they're just Steve and Bucky again, together in Brooklyn. 

In a way, though, Steve doesn't mind coming back to reality all that much. There are many parts of his life that are strange- he's here, for example. He's 95 years old and doesn't look a day over 26. And somehow, by a miracle he will never know how to explain, Bucky is here with him. 

That, he thinks to himself, is all he needs.

The song changes, and Steve smiles as he recognizes the tune. The trumpet is familiar, and Bucky's grinning back at him, seeing his recognition. 

“You remember this one, Stevie?” Bucky asks. “You used to go around the apartment singin' it.”

“I remember,” he says, smiling. “You got so mad at me, cause I kept getting it stuck in your head.”

Bucky laughs. “God, I forgot about that part, but it's all coming back to me, now. At least once a week that damn song got lodged in my head, and it was all your fault. I used to stay glued to the radio at work, hoping it would come on. And then I would come home and you'd be singin' it.”

Steve chuckles as Bucky spins him. The vocals come on, and Steve grins, leaning in a little close.

“ _Just kiss me once, and kiss me twice, and kiss me once again. It's been a long, long time..._ ” he sings softly, and Bucky goes soft against him.

Bucky hums along, guiding Steve in their little circle around the living room, smiling. Steve keeps singing, soft and sweet and low, and his chest feels warm. It's been a while since he's really sung much of anything. He hadn't had a reason to. Now he does, and it feels incredible. Bucky's looking at him with those soft blue-grey eyes of his, mouth turned up in the prettiest smile Steve's ever seen, and he can barely breathe for a moment, stumbling over the last of the words before the instrumental takes over again.

Bucky gently presses their foreheads together, smiling.

“Can't believe you still remember all the words, old man.”

“I could never forget them,” Steve says softly.

Bucky hums and softly kisses him. Steve's face goes warm- he's still so unused to this. It's been so long. Seventy years is a long time to wait, and even though Bucky's been home for a year, and Steve can no longer count how many times they've kissed, each time still feels like the first. Bucky's mouth is soft and gentle against his, familiar and new all at once. Steve smiles as the lyrics come back in.

“ _You'll never know many dreams I dreamed about you- or just how empty they all seemed without you,” he croons. “So, kiss me once, and kiss me twice, and kiss me once again... it's been a long, long time_.”

The music stops, then, and they're still sort of swaying, not even twirling anymore. They come to a stop, bodies close, Steve's arms around Bucky's neck and his on his waist, their noses brushing. Steve laughs a little.

“I hate to say this, but... this was a good idea, Buck,” Steve says after a moment. 

Bucky gives a triumphant grin, lighting up like a Christmas tree. Steve's breath catches in his throat a little, and he shakes his head slightly, just looking at Bucky's face. 

“What are you staring at?” Bucky asks. 

“My best guy,” Steve says. 

Bucky raises an eyebrow.

“What- I can't just get a good look at my fella?”

Bucky laughs, and leans against Steve, squeezing his waist a little. Steve looses Bucky's hair from its bun and runs his fingers through the soft, dark strands, smiling contentedly. Bucky kisses his neck softly, and Steve sighs into it. He tugs Bucky onto the couch, pulling him into his lap, and Bucky adjusts, straddling him and gently putting his hands on Steve's face, just sort of looking at him.

“You're so damn pretty, Stevie,” Bucky says.

Steve blushes, and offers a smile.

“Sing for me some more?”

Steve presses a soft kiss to Bucky's mouth, chuckling. He pulls him into a sitting position, holding him against his chest like Bucky used to, back when Steve was much smaller. 

“Anything for you, sugar.”


End file.
